Ryunnosuke Itsuka
'Ryunnosuke Itsuka '''is the Tsaesci Emperor and the nominal head of the Itsuka clan. He is considered as one of the heroes of the Tsaesci who managed to take back their ancestral lands from the Ka Po Tun occupiers. Ryunnosuke is considered one of the strongest Spirit Pressure users of his time. Ayaka Itsuka is his wife, while his children are the Princesses KurumI, Kasumi and Mayuri as well as the Princes Terumi and Tetsuya. Biography Early Life Ryunnosuke was born as the third child of the previous Tsaesci Emperor. He was born from his father's main wife, the former Empress. As he was a prince of the Tsaesci, it was natural that he was accorded significant wealth and care from birth onwards. He showed early that he was a prodigy in Spirit Pressure cultivation, advancing faster than his two older brothers. As a child, Ryunnosuke was actually willful and quite stubborn. He thought that the world belonged to him and forced others to respect him based on his status as the prince alone. He practiced the Spirit Pressure techniques regularly, but didn't put in much effort in self cultivation, only doing as much as was required of him as he saw it as a useless pursuit. When he gained the ability to use his Spirit Sword at twelve years old, Ryunnosuke thought he was invincible and started using it to exert his authority. When he was thirteen, Ryunnosuke met his future wife to be Ayaka, when she refused to kneel to respect him when he had visited her father's house. No matter what Ryunnosuke did, Ayaka didn't surrender and he eventually pulled his sword on her, only for Ayaka to already be at his throat with her blade, as his mastery of Spirit Pressure was not as good as he wished and he didn't have mastery of his Spirit Sword. Ryunnosuke declared that he would make Ayaka kneel to him one day, and left, angry. He changed as a person, deciding that he would no longer rely on his authority as a prince to make others respect him, but use sheer power to scare all opposition into submission. Unlike his younger self, Ryunnosuke started practicing Spirit Pressure seriously and put in much more effort into understanding both his own Spirit Sword and those that belonged to others. He practiced martial arts daily and discarded all his playtime, focusing instead on studies and academics so he could prove his superiority over Ayaka. Ryunnosuke's constant efforts to improve himself caught the attention of an old master who lived in the mountains. This man had watched over the Tsaesci for all five of their dynasties, himself being an ancient Tsaesci who happened to live very long because of his Spirit Pressure. The same man had taught many of the previous Emperors how to use Spirit Pressure. Ryunnosuke was summoned to meet him and train under him. Under this master, Ryunnosuke gained mastery of his powers and his ability to use Spirit Pressure increased greatly. When Ryunnosuke told his master that Ayaka was his target to defeat, his master laughed and said that he should not see her in that light, because a girl like that would help him become the Emperor that the Tsaesci needed. Becoming the Crown Prince Ryunnosuke met Ayaka again when she was one of the few non Guardian Clan competitors to marry his elder brother, the second prince. About six years had passed, with Ayaka herself maturing into a beauty. While Ryunnosuke himself had grown incredibly powerful, Ayaka's grace and fluidity in battle captivated him and he wished she would lose, only so she wouldn't marry his elder brother. Indeed, Ayaka lost to one of her opponents, who attempted to kill her. Ryunnosuke intervened and disarmed Ayaka's opponent, saving her. Ryunnosuke remembered who Ayaka was, but it appeared that she had forgotten him as his self conduct was completely different from when he was a child. Ryunnosuke told Ayaka that he would like for her to be his maid, as a payment for saving her life, since it was not illegal for deaths to happen during the competition for the rights to become a princess. It was this incident which caused Ayaka to kneel for him and prostrate herself to the ground, out of respect. Ryunnosuke proceeded to tell Ayaka who he was and said that he didn't do it without motive, for he could see her talent and how the opponent was actually using underhanded methods. Since she was the one who caused Ryunnosuke to put his heart towards becoming a perfect exemplar for the people, he wished for Ayaka to train with him. Ryunnosuke brought Ayaka to his master, who started training both of them in not just the art of Spirit Pressure, but also the techniques of running the country and winning wars. This training and insight into the world of Spirit Pressure allowed both to reach their full potential. The old master proclaimed that Ryunnosuke would definitely become the next Emperor and that Ayaka should compete in the selection to become Ryunnosuke's bride, since Ryunnosuke had reached the age which he was to marry. As they spent much time together, Ryunnosuke declared he would only marry Ayaka and would not take a single concubine, telling Ayaka that she had to win, no matter the cost. If she lost, he would wait for her and reject the selection, which would destroy his chances of becoming the Emperor. Ayaka of course defeated all the other contestants, given the huge gap in ability she now had over all others. She became the third princess of the Tsaesci through marriage despite the opposition of almost all the Guardian Clans, who could not stand the shock of losing to a common Tsaesci, especially when they knew Ryunnosuke was the most likely to ascend the throne after the current Emperor. The Itsuka clan welcomed Ayaka, understanding her great talents since she had served in the palace under Ryunnosuke and had a favourable relationship with his parents. Despite being the youngest couple (as Ryunnosuke only had two older brothers who were married at that point) among all those who were eligible to ascend the throne, Ryunnosuke and Ayaka were the first to produce a child, the princess Kurumi Itsuka. As a consequence, the Tsaesci Emperor immediately designated Ryunnosuke as his successor and Ayaka became the Crown Princess, despite more opposition from the Guardian Clans, having already planned to do so. Ryunnosuke immediately set his sights on the most important problem, which was the loss of lands to the Ka Po Tun. He realised there was no use fighting the Tosh Raka Emperor Li Xuanwen directly in combat and changed the plan, allowing his forces to retreat if they had to engage Li Xuanwen, while attacking any other territories that was under Ka Po Tun occupation, allowing the Tsaesci to minimise casualties and dividing the enemy's attention. The strategy worked and Li Xuanwen's expansion of the Ka Po Tun territories slowed drastically, since he couldn't be at multiple places at once and the Tsaesci generals were generally more capable than the Ka Po Tun generals in combat, in no small part because they had to adapt to Li Xuanwen's incredible power that demolished armies. It was at this time where both Ryunnosuke and Ayaka finalised their training in powers and reformed the Tsaesci economy and policies to ease the burden placed on their people by the war, having promised the people that they would put an end to it. Their second child, prince Terumi Itsuka was born in this period where the Ka Po Tun was held at bay. Multiple Tsaesci generals went to engage Li Xuanwen to probe his weaknesses and accurately assess his ability in battle. While this led to a good portion not coming back, Ryunnosuke and Ayaka used the information to create a strategy to win in direct confrontation. After making sure their preparations were all complete, Ryunnosuke and Ayaka themselves set off for the frontlines soon after the birth of their third child, the princess Kasumi Itsuka. They fought directly against Li Xuanwen on the frontlines and grievously wounded him, crushing the Ka Po Tun morale. This allowed their follow up forces to rout the Ka Po Tun forces and hence they reclaimed all the formerly Tsaesci territories after the Ka Po Tun retreated in defeat. Ryunnosuke and Ayaka, along with all the military forces of the Tsaesci were honoured as war heroes. Ryunnosuke's father decided that his son had accrued enough merit and respect from the people, hence he abdicated the throne and Ryunnosuke became the Tsaesci Emperor, with Ayaka ascending to the position of Empress. Becoming the Emperor Ryunnosuke's reign as Emperor became rather insignificant compared to his earlier achievements in the military, since all he had to do was to continue many already well written policies and revise those which were not good enough. The lands were at peace, so he was free to lower the spending on raising armies and defences, allowing him to reduce the taxation on the people. He investigated the Tsaesci civil service in detail, to root out corruption and punish wayward officials. Ryunnosuke seriously considered trying to see if there were any lands beyond Akaviri ones that were worth visiting and diplomacy, since the Tsaesci already knew of Tamriel's existence and some of them knew the Tamrielic language. The prohibitive cost of such expeditions had to be funded by the people and there was always risk of Ka Po Tun attack, hence he shelved most of the plans for exploring beyond and focused on improving the Tsaesci's lives instead. Ships from Tamriel kept straying towards the Tsaesci waters, though, and they were either turned away or destroyed with magic if they failed to leave, for the Tsaesci people didn't have any desire to make contact and Ryunnosuke's stance was a maintainence of that of the previous Emperors - keep the Tsaesci in isolation and do not break the mystery of Akavir as a whole, which would keep the curious Tamrielics at bay. This was born from the desire to not see Tamrielic intervention in any resulting conflicts. Prince Tetsuya Itsuka and Princess Mayuri Itsuka were both born when Ryunnosuke was Emperor and Ayaka was Empress. Personality Ryunnosuke has shown himself to be an impatient person in general, probably because his ability to understand and interpret the world is far higher than most people. He has very low tolerance when it comes to explaining things to others. As a well read person, Ryunnosuke also easily becomes irritated when he has to speak to people less educated than him or who cannot understand what he is saying. In contrast to that, Ryunnosuke has a high tolerance when it comes to listening to others. He doesn't mind passively listening to things he would see as nonsense. He conducts his court sessions while allowing all to fairly speak and tends to consider other's opinions rather than just enforce his own. While it may irritate him, Ryunnosuke is able to put up with the stress. Ryunnosuke does not position himself as a man of the people, but instead as an exemplar for them. He therefore lives simply and even personally sweeps the courtyard of the house that he lives in (located within the palace). Ryunnosuke is known to never wear anything expensive other than the robes which were made for him as Emperor. He never renovates or constructs new imperial buildings, only maintaining them. He also does not keep any servants within his personal house. Ryunnosuke demonstrates that he cares a lot about the well being of his children, although he can be overprotective at times. He is unwilling to let them take risks if the risks are avoidable, especially regarding his daughter Kasumi who he sees as weak. Appearance Ryunnosuke has the dark hair and bright crimson irises that indicates his descent from Nozomi Itsuka. His hair is normally kept at a medium length and is well maintained, being glossy and smooth. Ryunnosuke has fair skin that is blemish free. Ryunnosuke's eyes are slightly higher on the outside corners than the inside corners and they are rather large for a male. His eyebrows also slope inwards. Ryunnosuke has an oval shaped face with a sharp chin and relatively narrow, yet rounded cheeks. His nose is sharp and straight, but is small for a male. Ryunnosuke is of an average build and stands at roughly 5'10 (178 cm) tall, putting him slightly above average for a male Tsaesci. His body is muscled and toned but not overly large, so he can fit into his clothing. Ryunnosuke maintains a well maintained short beard and moustache, mainly as a reflection of his age, since he still appears in his twenties without the facial hair, a consequence of his bloodline and practice of Spirit Pressure techniques. Powers and Abilities Ryunnosuke is an incredibly skilled and powerful Spirit Pressure user, being one of the best across the entire Akavir alongside his wife Ayaka and the Ka Po Tun Emperor Li Xuanwen. His skill in this area is uncanny, having huge reserves of magical energy and the ability to use expensive and powerful attacks. Ryunnosuke's Heart Shattering Palm is so powerful it is known to destroy all the bones and organs in a body when used against anything. Even the Dragon Alchemy enhanced Li Xuanwen was unable to mitigate the damage fully and was permanently crippled. Ryunnosuke is a Spirit Pressure user who is within the realm of ''Transcending the Mundane. He can therefore freely exert the power of his Spirit Sword and deploy a Spirit Realm that overwrites the immediate reality around himself. Ryunnosuke retains the ability to use his Spirit Sword. As an Itsuka, Ryunnosuke's main Elementalism technique is Lightning Transformation, which is on a lower level than his wife Ayaka, but still extremely strong. He is casually able to fire off the strongest techniques repeatedly within a short time with no fatigue or lack of magicka. Ryunnosuke is also able to use Wind and Air based magical forms, which can be used to send many flying with a casual exertion of his Spirit Pressure. Ryunnosuke's skill in Tsaesci form Akaviri Movement Techniques is one of full mastery. He is not just able to move at extreme speeds for prolonged periods of time, he can even use the techniques to run on any surface or fly in the air freely. Equipment As the Tsaesci Emperor, Ryunnosuke carries two swords. One of which is the straight sword that all Guardian Clan members carry, the other being the straight sword that symbolizes the Emperor. He wears these two swords at his waist. Both swords are ornate weapons which do not blunt or break no matter the abuse they suffer. In general, the Guardian Clan sword is used for combat, while the Emperor's sword is a purely ceremonial piece, although it is an extremely sharp weapon capable of easily cutting through armor. Ryunnosuke wears the royal regalia of the Tsaesci Emperor when he attends any official events such as the morning court sessions. This is comprised of a black silk robe that has silver patterns stitched into it as the inner piece, with an outer coat of a slightly lighter grey. His belt is also a dark grey shade and he wears both swords on his left side when standing and walking. He also dons a silver filigree crown with no gemstones in it. When sitting, Ryunnosuke will place his swords in hands reach to his side and doesn't wear them. Trivia * Ryunnosuke is two years younger than his wife Ayaka. * Ryunnosuke's maintainence of facial hair is so he will not be confused as a prince of the Tsaesci. He does it to appear older and more matured, but it does not really work as the rest of his facial features are still very young looking. Category:Echoes of the Orient Category:Characters Category:Males Category:Royalty Category:Tsaesci Category:Spirit Pressure User Category:Emperors